Comments on: James Kelman

By: zxcvb

zxcvb — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:16:58 +0000

Utterson, he doesn’t speak Gaelic fluently, but knows a bit about its constructions, some vocabulary, etc. I was his student and assistant for a time, and he spoke of his grandmother and her language several times. Hope that helps.

By: Blind Man

Blind Man — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:57:19 +0000

No problem, Utterson, I’m glad you found it useful. And thanks for the sp. correction. I have updated my records ;)

By: Utterson

Utterson — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:29:33 +0000

That’s really interesting, thanks. I’m doing some research on Kelman’s use of language and this is a bit of a surprise — as far as I’m aware he doesn’t actually know that much about (Scottish) Gaelic! [It's spelt the same as (Irish) Gaelic, but pronounced differently.] I’ll definitely follow this up — cheers.

By: Blind Man

Blind Man — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:04:52 +0000

Hi Utterson,

Yes, Kelman talked about his Grandmother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and spoke Gallic, but never taught her children or grandchildren the language because it never seemed appropriate or necessary. Nevertheless, Kelman said, constructions like ‘I did not know…I did not care’ that Kieron repeatedly uses derive from Gallic syntax.

By: Utterson

Utterson — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:37:56 +0000

Interesting take on the new novel. Did Kelman himself say Gaelic was an influence on the syntax of KSB?

By: bigcitylib

bigcitylib — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:57:04 +0000

I have TRIED to read a number of his novels and short stories based on what I have heard of his reputation. Actually, the stories can be quite good. “Land of the free…” is the only novel I’ve managed to make it through after “How Late…”

By: Blind Man

Blind Man — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:13:48 +0000

Well, thanks for the comment, I guess. I don’t know why you read ‘the rest’ if you found them all (seven novels and seven short story collections, and an excellent essay compendium And The Judges Said…) so painful. I would encourage you to read his latest book, however–it’s a bit lighter, more playful and I found it completely endearing.

But, that said, he certainly won’t please everyone as the reaction to his Booker Prize renders crystal clear.

By: bigcitylib

bigcitylib — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:59:47 +0000

The only book of his I can really stand is “How Late…”

The rest are painfully boring.